Spring in Indiana

As a sixth generation Hoosier, my roots go deep in the Indiana soil. I come from a long line of gardeners. My maternal grandmother propagated her own roses and was very proud of her rose garden. In my mind I can see her in the garden wearing white gloves covering sprouts with large glass jars. Spring came early this year and it was very welcome after a winter of record-breaking snows. The crocuses, hyacinths, and tulips were first followed by daffodils, red buds, and weeping Japanese cherries. My friend Judi, in South Carolina, sent me some new daffodil bulbs this spring and I eagerly await their blooming next year. I have about 15 lilac buses and the whole outside smelled of lilacs. The azaleas were magnificent and the magnolia tree was so full of blossoms it was hard to see the green leaves. The snowball bushes were in full bloom, but they didn't like the cold front that came in last weekend. Clematis' are blooming and hydrangeas are budded. It's time to plant the annuals in pots to coordinate with the hanging baskets of flowers I received as Mother's Day gifts. Never an idle moment..........

Visit To Assumption High School Louisville, KY

I go to Assumption High School in Louisville, Kentucky about once a year to help the students in Mr. Bob Brown's forensic science class with their facial reconstructions. Assumption is a college prep school for girls and the final project in their forensic class is a clay facial reconstruction on a skull. This year I went on April 23rd. The girls are bright, attentive, and polite. They have many intelligent questions and are fun to work with. They received their project skulls the day I was there, and have until May 10, 2010 to complete the reconstructions. Having seen projects from past years, I am amazed at the credible reconstructions. I applaud Mr. Brown for his dedication to his students and for bringing another art form to the students' attention. These students always infuse me with some of their energy and inspiration.




Assumption High School forensics class.

Students picking out a skull for facial reconstruction.

Mr. Bob Brown, forensics science teacher and a skull I took for demonstration purposes along with a couple of 'heads' from past years sitting on the desk.

Ice Cream Shop Road Trip

This picture shows the soda 'jerk', Wilma Hare and the cashier, Janelle Binger.

Wanda is about to enter Zaharakos. Note the lovely stained glass in the doors.

Wanda Lou Willis and I took a road trip to Zaharakos ice cream parlor and museum in Columbus last Wednesday. Three brothers from Greece opened the original shop in 1900 and it has been completely restored. There is a double backbar which has 50 feet of mahogany, stained glass, mirrors and marble. The Welte orchestrion (1908) is a beautiful piece of art with 184 pipes of wood, tin and brass. Wanda and I enjoyed our sandwiches and chocolate sodas while the sounds of Oklahoma entertained us. If you order Eve with the lid on you get apple pie. Check out Zaharakos at http://www.zaharakos.com/

Take a Road Trip

I took a road trip last week to the Wayne County Historical Museum in Richmond, Indiana. It's a gem of a museum. Exhibits include a superb collection of automobiles made in Richmond, log cabins, steam powered tractors, a blacksmith shop, print shop, bakery, an extensive Native American collection, an Egyptian room containing a 3,000 year old mummy in his coffin as well as display cases filled with Egyptian artifacts just to name a few of the exciting wonders in this museum. There is a great giftshop where you can buy a souvenir or pick up a gift for a special occasion. Check out their website at http://www.waynecountyhistoricalmuseum.com/ .

One of my favorite exhibits is the large dollhouse. I've included a picture of it along with a photo of the director, Mr. James Harlan, standing in front of the museum. Visiting the museum makes a great road trip.

I reconstructed the face of a 3000 year old Egyptian mummy for a museum last year. I made a mold of the sculpture and cast it in ceramic clay, but wasn't very happy with it so I made another one and finished it today. He'll be going to the museum to replace the other one, but he's been with me so long and has become so attached to my cats that the museum director may have to find him a cat. No one has come forward to identify the mummy. :-)Now I can really get back to writing.

Starting Over

It's been a long time since my last blog. I did more sculpting than writing in 2009, but it's time to jump-start my writing. I went to a writing workshop Saturday at Ball State sponsored by the Midwest Writers' Group. There were three intriguing presenters. Dr. Dennis Hensley, from Taylor University, was one of them. He was funny and inspiring, but dead serious about writing. I ordered some of his books from Amazon when I got home.

The second book in my forensic artist mystery series is almost finished and I'm quite anxious to finish it. I did co-edit an anthology written by members of the Speed City Chapter of Sisters in Crime called Bedlam at the Brickyard which is due out the first part of May, 2010. All the stories revolve around the Brickyard 400 while our first anthology, Racing Can Be Murder, released in 2007, revolves around the Indianapolis 500. I did manage a short story for Bedlam and it was totally out of my comfort zone--about a shape-shifter--but it was fun to write. Until next time........
Brenda

Paranormal Saturday

Today I went to a paranormal conference with a friend who was one of the speakers. There was a large crowd of interesting people--a vampire or two, some attendees dressed as the undead (I suppose) walking around with blood-covered knives. I felt as if I were at a SciFi convention, but the people were extraordinarily nice. Sleet and snow came down at different intervals during the day, but fortunately the roads were in good shape when my friend and I made the hour and a half trip home. I didn't get any writing done, but I have a list of new characters.

Have a great day.

Brenda